Body, memory, representation: classical roots of a contemporary theme3
Eugenio Polito
The subject of the body has experienced a revival of interest in recent decades even in classical studies, after a long period of oblivion due largely to the appropriation of the Greco-Roman nude by 20th century nationalisms. Only through the hermeneutic toolkit of human sciences has it been possible to refocus the meanings of the body in classical culture, thus avoiding the risk of an out-of-time aestheticism. Recent news reports have shown how much disruptive force the classical image of the naked body can still exert. By briefly reviewing the history of the nude body in the collective imagination from the classical age to the present, it is suggested that it can still stimulate useful reflection on the classical educational pattern in relation to questions posed by the present times.
Keywords
Naked body, classical art, paideia, education, censorship.
